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Cancer survivor part of Rays' Father's Day

Cancer survivor part of Rays' Father's Day

ST. PETERSBURG -- Ronald Anderson, a man who has battled cancer three times and won, represented the Rays in Major League Baseball's inaugural "My Dad, My MVP" contest.

Anderson was recognized on the field before Sunday's game at Tropicana Field, and received special MLB merchandise and two tickets to the game as part of MLB's annual Father's Day activities.

Anderson begun losing his vision over a year ago, and he underwent an experimental procedure to save it. Improvements have been noticed.

More than 3,200 stories were submitted at MLB.com/mvpdad, with Anderson's entry sent in by his daughter. The submission began with, "I know this sounds cliche, but my dad is my hero. He has provided for the family when times were tough and never let anything affect us."

The winning entries were judged by nearly 270,000 fan votes on MLB.com and a celebrity panel that included Joe Torre, MLB executive vice president of baseball operations. The decision was based on originality, quality of writing, demonstration of commitment to the role of father and public appeal.